[Commonwealth of] Australia

Australia is both a continent and a country which makes it
unique in the world. Before European settlers built their first settlements
along the East coast which is now known as New South Wales, the indigenous
people, often referred to as Aborigines, were inhabitating the continent in
tribal communities for more than 40,000 years. Originally settled but frequently
accepted convict transports. European settlements actually did not start until
the 1850s so that Australia can be considered a fairly recent but nonetheless
very diverse country. It has many cultural influences from the British
Commonwealth although it claimed independence in the early 20th century. Most of
the population of 22 million citizens lives along the coast line with the
Outback in the center of the continent being mainly uninhabitated and naturally
diverse. The capital of the country is Canberra in the middle between the two
major metropolitan areas of Sydney and Melbourne.